Bale wagon

ABSTRACT

A bale wagon adapted to pick up bales and form them into a composite stack and further adapted to unload individual bales from the formed stack in single bale fashion. The bale wagon basically comprises a load rack, a slightly forwardly inclined transfer table spaced forwardly of the load rack and moveable back and forth therebetween, and a vertically reciprocable receiving table interposed between the transfer table and load rack. During the loading mode of operation, the receiving table functions to transfer bales to the transfer table and after a complete tier has been formed thereon the transfer table moves rearwardly to a position adjacent the front end of the load rack where the tier is deposited. To unload, the transfer table is actuated rearwardly to the position adjacent the load rack, retrieves the end tier and moves back to its original position. The receiving table then operates through a series of cycles, retrieving a portion of the tier from the transfer table during each cycle while the complement of the tier is held by hooks which engage the lower layer of bales of the tier. At the end of each cycle of the receiving table, the retrieved bales are conveyed transversely from the bale wagon in a single bale fashion.

4 1 Dec. 31, 1974 Primary ExaminerRobert .l. Spar BALE WAGON AssistantExaminer-Leslie J. Paperner [75] Inventors: Donald M. Grey, Selma; LeeD.

Agent, or Firm-John R. Flanagan; Frank A.

Butler, Kingsburg, both of Calif.

T C M T S B A .H 5 W e N n o a r 0 n. r C a mo. mm m n o SH e n g S S AM 7 [22] Flled Aug 2 1973 A bale wagon adapted to pick up bales and formthem Appl. No.: 392,138 into a composite stack and further adapted tounload individual bales from the formed stac fashion. The bale wagonbasicall a slightly forwardly inclined transfer table ck. During theloading mode of operation,

rack

spaced forwardly of the load rack and moveable back and forththerebetween, and a vertically rec receiving table interposed betweenthe transfer table and load ra the receiving table functions to transferbales to the transfer table and after a com formed thereon the transfertable 6 S A OCS 9 w b mmw 3 Ax Y 2 6 a B55 a B 88 t M4 m AM H M MBZ 09 2m6 '3 9 "a m A B ru 0 5 m6 WN 8 WM l A m m $5 2 mm U a mm d r. e n U a oa "8 1H "s e m L .f. R ND C L0 m d m s an Ca U IF 3 T N 6 5 55 .l i ll[56] References Cited a position adjacent the front end of the load rackUNITED STATES PATENTS where the tier is deposited. To unload, thetransfer table is actuated rearwardl y to the position adjacent 214/6 Bthe load rack, retrieves the end tier and moves back to its originalposition. The receiving table then operates through a series of cycles,retrieving a portion of the tier from the transfer table during eachcycle while the complement of the tier is held by hooks which engage thelower layer of bales of the tier. At the end of each cycle of thereceiving table, the retrieved bales are conveyed transversely from thebale wagon in a single bale fashion.

BA 68 2M 2 966 Hollyday............................

3 Claims, 26 Drawing lFigures PATENIED B553 7 1974 3, 857. 498

SHEET 2 OF 9 PATENIEI] UECB 1 I974 SHEET 4 OF 9 INVENTOR LEE 0. 507 5/?DOA/H60 M 659;

PATENTEDUEBS 1 I974 SHEET 5 OF 9 INVENTOR ME 0 BUTLER DOA/mom GREYPALTENTEB [1533 1 74 SHEET 6 OF 9 INVENTOR LEE 0- BU LEF DOA/6M0 M GEE)112311914 I PAIENTED SHE 80; 9 3.857 498 INVENT'QR LEE 0. BUTEER DOA/HA0M. GREY FAIENTEUBEU 1 1914' 3. 857. 498

SHEET 9 OF 9 H I I Q L55 0. BUTLER DON/7L0 M C56 5) BALE WAGON This is acontinuation, of application Ser. No. 139,324, filed May 3, 1971 and nowabandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to agriculturalmachinery and more particularly to wagons adapted for loading andunloading bales of hay and the like.

One of the most significant advances made in agricultural mechanizationover the past two decades was the development of the automatic balewagon by G. E. Grey. G. E. Greys bale wagon, commonly referred to as thebasic Grey Wagon and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,848,127, isprincipally adapted for stacking bales and is basically comprised ofthree tandemly arranged cooperating tables. In operation, the basic Greywagon functions to pick up bales, form them into a composite stack, andsubsequently discharge the entire stack in a storage area. Although thebasic Grey wagon has met with wide acceptance especially in the morearid geographical regions where stacking can be done in open spacewithout significant risk of spoilage, there has been an increasing needfor the development of a bale wagon having single bale unloadingcapability, espe cially among hay farmers in the more humid geographicalregions unsuited for open space stacking.

Various approaches have been taken in the development of a single baleunloading wagon. One such approach is represented in U.S. Pat. No.3,448,879 to C. Van Der Lely. Van Der Lelys wagon, commonly referred toas a random loading wagon, delivers bales to the wagon in randomfashion-mot in a composite stack as the basic Grey wagon does. Tounload, the floor of the Van Der Lely wagon is driven rearwardly,causing bales to fall into a rear-transverse cross conveyor whichconveys the bales to one side of the wagon. The obvious deficiency ofthis wagon is the lack of orderly control of the load during unloading,due in great part to the random disposition of the loaded bales.

The most successful single bale unloading wagon to date is that shown inU.S. Pat. No. 3,502,230 issued Mar. 24, 1970 to D. M. Grey, et al. Thiswagon employs the basic Grey three table concept but modifies theintermediate table by adding a cross conveyor and a separatingmechanism. Briefly pointing out the unloading operation, the stack ismoved forwardly in small increments such that a tier at a time is pushedonto the intermediate table. The separating mechanism then separates arow of the tier and the separated row is conveyed transversely from theintermediate table by the cross conveyor. Although successful in mostrespects, this wagon does have a relatively low load capacity. Moreover,it is noted that the first table, essential for loading, is not utilizedduring unloading and that the modifications in the intermediate table,essential for unloading, are not utilized during loading.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The bale wagon of the present inventionbasically comprises a load rack, a forwardly inclined transfer tablespaced forwardly of the front end of the load rack, and a receivingtable disposed intermediately between the load rack and transfer tableand moveable up and down therebetween for either delivering bales to thetransfer table or receiving bales therefrom. During the loadingoperation, a layer of bales is received by the receiving table and thelayer is then transferred to the transfer table. After a sufficientnumber of layers have been transferred to the transfer table to form atier, the transfer table is then moved rearwardly over the receivingtable to deposit the formed tier onto the front end of the load rack.The above loading steps are repeated until the load rack contains a loadof side-by-side disposed tiers. To unload, the bale wagon employs thesame basic elements as used in loading, i.e., load rack, transfer table,and receiving table. .In the unloading operation, the transfer table isadapted to move to the load rack and retrieve a tier therefrom andreturn to its original position. The receiving table then proceeds tomove up and down through a series of cycles, during each cycleretrieving a portion of a tier on the transfer table and bringing thatportion of the tier down to its lower position where the bales areconveyed transversely in single file from the bale wagon. The receivingtable continues to cycle until the entire tier disposed on the transfertable has been retrieved and conveyed from the wagon. The aboveunloading steps are re peated until the entire load has been discharged.It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to providea bale wagon adapted for loading and single bale unloading whichutilizes the same basic components for carrying out the loading andunloading operation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a transfer tablenormally disposed in an upright, slightly forwardly inclined positionwhich is moveable in a foreand-aft direction between its originalforward position and a rear position adjacent the front end of the loadrack, the transfer table being further provided with retaining means forsupporting a tier during loading and for retrieving a tier from the loadrack during unloadmg.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a receiving tablein a disposition intermediately between the forward position of thetransfer table and the load rack and to provide the same receiving tablewith drive means for cycling the receiving table up and down relative tothe transfer table such that bales during the loading operation will bedelivered from the receiving table to the transfer table and during theunloading operation bales will be received from the transfer table bythe receiving table.

Another object of the present invention is to provide control means foractuating the retaining means of the transfer table in timedrelationship relative to the position of the receiving table during itscycle.

A further object of the present invention is to provide control meansfor actuating the retaining means of the transfer table during thetransfer of bales to the load rack for deposit thereon and during theretrieving of a tier from the load rack by the transfer table.

A more general object of their present invention is to provide a highcapacity single bale unloading wagon. Other objects and advantages ofthe present invention will become apparent and obvious from a study ofthe following description and the accompanying drawings which are merelyillustrative of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the presentbale wagon drawn in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the loadrack, transfer table, receiving table, and rolling rack assembly.

FIG. 3 is a view taken through the lines 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the transfer table. FIG. 5 is aplan view of the transfer table shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the control system for actuating the receivingtable and retaining means of the transfer table.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are fragmentary views of the single revolution clutchassembly for actuating the receiving table during both loading andunloading, FIG. 7 showing the clutch engaged while FIG. 8 shows theclutch disengaged.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the control systemshown in plan in FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the cam assembly foractuating the retaining means of the transfer table in timedrelationship relative to the position of the receiving table.

FIG. 11 is a schematic circuit diagram of the hydraulic system forcontrolling the various hydraulic powered components of the presentinvention.

FIGS. l2-19 are schematic illustrations of the loading operation of thepresent bale wagon.

FIGS. -26 are schematic illustrations of the unloading operation of thepresent bale wagon.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the following descriptionright hand and left hand reference is determined by standing at the rearof the bale wagon and facing in the direction of travel.

IN GENERAL With particular reference to FIG. 1, the bale wagon of thepresent invention is comprised of a wheel sup ported load rack 10, thefront and rear left side wheels being indicated by the numerals l2 and14 respectively. Spaced along intervals on the left and right hand sideof the load rack 10 is a series of upstanding posts 16. The posts 16support a series of longitudinally extending, vertically spaced apartside railings I8. Extending transversely the rear portion of the loadrack is a retaining bar 20.

The load rack 10 further includes a rolling rack 22 which is moveable ina fore-and-aft direction along the load rack by carriage means disposedin a pair of laterally spaced longitudinally extending rails. Rollingrack 22 is adapted to move towards the rear of the wagon in incrementscorresponding to the thickness of a single tier during loading and isfurther adapted to move towards the front of the wagon in likeincrements during unloading.

Fixed to the front portion of the load rack 10 and extending forwardlyand downwardly therefrom is a box frame 24 which supports the tierforming components and their associated drive units. Extending forwardlyfrom the bale wagon is a tongue 25 having a clevis, not shown, which isadapted to be connected to the drawbar of a power source, not shown. Itwill be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present inventioncan likewise be incorporated into a self-propelled unit, obviating thenecessity of having a tongue and clevis arrangement.

Disposed within box frame 24 is a slightly forward inclined transfertable 26 adapted to move back and forth with a carriage means that isconfined in a pair of guide rails that extend between the box frame 24and the load rack 10. The transfer table 26 includes a series of baleretaining means in the form of hooks which engage a lower portion of atier of bales and retain it in an upright manner adjacent the transfertable 26.

Interposed between the load rack 10 and the transfer table 26 is areceiving table 28 which is reciprocably moveable up and down adjacentthe transfer table 26 for delivering bales thereto or receiving balestherefrom. A bale pickup mechanism 32 is disposed to the left side ofreceiving table 28 and is so arranged to pick up bales from the fieldand deliver them to the receiving table by a conveyor means 30. Thepickup mechanism 32 forms no material part of the present invention andtherefore is not described in great detail. Various types of bale pickupmechanisms may be suitably employed in a bale wagon of the type shownherein. Those skilled in the art and those who are not can find detailedteachings of pickup mechanisms in US. Pat. Nos. 3,367,522 and 3,543,958.

As will be described hereafter in greater detail, the transfer table 26,rolling rack 22, and hooks (indicated generally by numeral 46, 48 inFIG. 4) are powered hydraulically while the receiving table 28 ismechanically driven. To effectuate the sequential operation of thesecomponents during loading and unloading it is necessary to providevarious sensing and trip mechanisms and link them with the control meansof the respective components. Some of these linking mechanisms, althoughparticularly described, are not shown because they are not consideredmaterial to the present inven tion and certainly fall within the skillof individual engaged in the art.

TRANSFER TABLE The upper portion of transfer table 26, as best seen inFIG. 4, is of a generally open rectangular construction having like sidemembers 34, 36 joined at their end extremeties by upper and lower crossmembers 38,40 respectively. A center support 42 extends between themedial portions of the upper and lower cross members 38,40. The lowerportion of transfer table 26 includes a transversely extending pusherplate 44 which depends downwardly from the lower cross member 40 and iscoplanar with the upper, open rectangular construction.

Disposed about the transfer table 26 in lateral spaced apartrelationship just above lower cross member 40 is a first and second setof hooks 46,48, each set of hooks being spaced a distance slightlygreater than a bale height above the receiving table 28 and adapted tograsp and retain a bale of hay against the rear face of the transfertable 26. More particularly each set of hooks include 4 individualhooks, the individual hooks of set 46 being denoted by 46a,46b,46c,46d,and likewise, the individual hooks of set 48 being indicated by48a,48b,48c and 48d. As best seen in FIG. 4, each pair of verticallyspaced hooks are axially aligned and are supported and actuated by aseries of laterally spaced rocker arms 50,52,54 and 56. The rocker armsare journalled for rotative movement within upper cross member 38 andlower cross member 40. The rocker arms and consequently the individualhooks are actuated by a hydraulic cylinder 58 which is anchored tocenter support 42 and extends laterally therefrom where its rod end isoperatively connected to a compound linkage arrangement that in turnactuates each of the rocker arms. Viewing the linkage particularly, it

. is seen that the rod end of the cylinder 58 is pivotally connected toplate 62 which is in turn fixed to rocker arm 54. Plate 62 is connectedto plate 66 by a connecting link 64. Also plate 62 is connected to plate70 by a tie link 68, with plate 70 being affixed to rocker arm 52. Plate70 is connected to plate 74, which is fixed to rocker arm 50, by aconnecting link 72. In order for the individual hooks to be engaged anddisengaged it is obvious that the connecting links 64,68 and 72 must bepivotally connected between the respective plates, as shown in FIGS. 4and 5. Means, to be described in greater detail, are provided foractuating the hooks in timed relationship relative to the position ofthe receiving table 28 and transfer table 26.

Turning to FIG. 3, it is seen that the transfer table 26 is adapted tomove in a translatory manner from a first position adjacent thesupporting box frame 24 (shown in solid lines) to a position adjacentthe front end of the load rack 10, hereafter referred to as the secondposition. In particular, transfer table 26 is adapted to move with acarriage which includes a carriage plate 76 having a pair oflongitudinally spaced rollers 78,80 rotatively mounted thereto andconfined within a pair of guide rails 82 which extend along each side ofthe wagon between the supporting box frame structure 24 and theforwardmost pair of upstanding posts 16. Carriage plate 76 is poweredalong the confines of guide rail 82 by a pair of double acting hydrauliccylinders, each indicated by numeral 84 and disposed on one side of thewagon and having an anchor end fixed to a mounting plate 86 which inturn is secured to a rearwardly spaced post 16. The rod end of thecylinder 84 is connected to a rocker arm 90 at point 92. Rocker arm 90is adapted to pivot back and forth about a transverse axis 94 and ispivotally connected to carriage plate 76 by a connecting link 96.Therefore it is seen that as the cylinders 84 are retracted andextended, the carriage is actuated back and forth in guide rails 82between said first and second positions.

RECEIVING TABLE Receiving table 28 is adapted to receive bales frompickup mechanism 32 and transfer them to the transfer table 26 duringloading or to retrieve individual bales from the transfer table andconvey them from the wagon, one bale at a time during unloading.Structurally, the receiving table 28 is comprised of transverselyextending cross members 98,100, the cross members being longitudinallyspaced apart to accommodate conveying means 30 therebetween (FIG. 9).Cross members 98,100 are secured to support member 104 which is in turnfixed to a carriage 106, as best seen in FIG. 6. Carriage 106 includespairs of upper and lower rollers, each roller being indicated by thenumeral 108 and confined within a pair of side guide rails 110,112.Guide rails 110,112 extend generally vertical but are slightly inclinedforwardly so as to lie in a plane generally with that assumed by thetransfer table 28. Cross members 98,100 extend in a plane generallynormal to that of the carriage 106 and therefore as the carriage movesup and down within guide rails 110 and 112, cross members 98,100 movevertically adjacent the rear face of transfer table 26.

ROLLING RACK Rolling rack 22, shown generally in FIG. 1, is comprised ofupper and lower transversely extending frame members 114,116 and aplurality of vertical supports 118 laterally spaced and joined to theinner sides of the frame members 114,116. Secured to the lower portionsof the two outer supports 118 are a pair of carriage plates 120, eachcarriage plate including a pair of longitudinally spaced rollers 122,124rotatively mounted thereto and confined within a pair of longitudinallyextending guide rails 126 disposed on each of the load rack and spacedslightly thereabove. The carriage is provided with a mechanical brakeand as best seen in FIG. 2 the brake includes an arm 128 pivotallymounted about axis 130. Fixed to the rear portion of arm 128 is a brakepad 132 which engages the lower rail portion of the left side guide rail126 during the movement of the rolling rack and carriage along the loadrack 10. Arm 128 is biased for braking by a spring 134 which extendsfrom the forward upward portion of the arm to a point 136 slightlythereabove.

The rolling rack 22 is brought forward during unloading by a ratchetassembly which is operatively connected to the rolling rack carriageplate 120 and actuated by cylinders 84. The ratchet assembly, as bestseen in FIG. 2, includes a ratchet bar 138 which extends nearly theentire length of the load rack on the left side of the wagon.Specifically, the lower edge of the ratchet bar 138 is slidablycontained along the upper edge of the left side guide rail 126. Theupper edge of the ratchet bar 138 includes a series of aligned,forwardly inclined serrated teeth. To provide back and forthreciprocation, the ratchet bar is connected to rocker arm by a pivotallink 140. A pawl 142 is pivotally secured to the outer face of carriageplate just above the serrated teeth of the ratchet bar 138 and ismoveable from a ratchet engaged position, shown in solid lines FIG. 3,to a disengaged position shown in dotted lines of the same figure. Toassure engagement and disengagement, a compression spring 144 ispivotally connected to pawl l42,by pin 146. The upper portion of spring144 is pivotally connected to a tab 148 extending upwardly from carriageplate 120.

RECEIVING TABLE DRIVE AND CAM CONTROL FOR HOOKS With particularreference to FIGS. 6-10, it is seen that the receiving table forming apart of a present invention is mechanically driven through a pin andcrank arrangement which is actuated by a single revolution clutchassembly, indicated generally by numeral 149. In particular, rotativemotion is provided by a circular chain sprocket 154 driven by an outsidesource, not shown, which is fixed to a sleeve 152 that is rotativelymounted around drive shaft 150. The sprocket 154 is continuously drivenand includes a clutch housing 156 disposed about its rear face. Spacedrearwardly of the chain drive sprocket 154 is a circular carrier plate158 which is fixed by welds or other suitable means to drive shaft androtatable therewith. Fixed to the rear face of carrier plate 158 anddepending generally downwardly therefrom is a carrier block 160 which ispivotally connected to crank 162 by lower pivot pin assembly 164. Theupper portion of crank 162, as best seen in FIG. 9, is likewisepivotally connected to carriage 106 by pivot pin assembly 166.. Thus asthe carrier plate 158 is rotated about a single revolution, the carriage106 is driven up to its maximum altitude and returned to its lowerposition.

The carrier plate is actuated through a single revolution clutch 149housed in clutch housing 156. As shown in FIGS. 6,7,8 and 9 a finger 168is fixed to one side of carrier block 160 and extends through an opening170 of carrier plate 154 and curls inwardly adjacent the front facethereof. The clutch mechanism includes a pawl arm 172 pivotallyconnected at 174 to the curled end of finger 168 and further having aroller 176 disposed oppositely from the pivotal connection with finger168. Disposed along the inside periphery of clutch housing 156 is a stop178 which continuously runs with the chain sprocket 154. Extendingdownwardly from the pawl arm 172 is a lever arm 180 in which the lowerend thereof is spring biased by spring 182 such that the roller end 176tends to be pulled towards the periphery of clutch housing 156.

Disposed below the clutch housing 156 is an actuating mechanism forselectively actuating the clutch for engagement with stop 178. Theactuating mechanism includes a mounting tab 190 fixed to support posts184 and extending upwardly therefrom. A pivot plate 188 is fixed to theupper portion of mounting tab 190 and pivots back and forth about axis192. Fixed to an outside upper edge of pivot plate 188 is a lockingplate 186 which has an edge portion 187 which curls back for engagementwith the lower end of lever arm 180. The pivot plate 188 is actuatedback and forth by an actuating arm 194 which during loading isoperatively connected to a two bale trip mechanism 195 (FIG. 2) disposedabove the receiving table 28, opposite the pickup mechanism 32. Duringthe unloading mode of operation, the actuating arm 194 is temporarilydisconnected by means, not shown, from the trip mechanism 195 and isoperatively connected to sensing plate 196 which is disposedtransversely the front edge of the load rack and senses the dispositionof bales on the receiving table during unloading.

The opening and closing of the hooks during transfer between thetransfer table 26 and receiving table 28 is controlled by a cam assembly200, (FIG. 10), keyed to drive shaft 150 forwardly of the singlerevolution clutch assembly 149. Cam assembly 200 includes a hub 202 anda housing having a periphery band 204 and a back portion 206. Axiallydisposed within the cam assembly 200 is a first and second set of cams208,210. The first cam set 208 is spaced rearwardly of the second camset 210 and is employed for loading and includes a hook opening cam 208afixed to hub 202 and a hook closing cam 208b fixed to the inside ofperiphery band 204.

Second cam set 210 is employed during unloading bales from the transfertable 26 to the receiving table 28 and includes a hook opening cam 210aand a hook closing cam 21012.

The control valve for controlling hook cylinder 58 is shownschematically in the hydraulic diagram of FIG. 11 (indicated by numeral232). As shown therein, the valve 232 is of a three position type valveand is normally spring centered. For actuating the control valve 232, aroller 212 is fixed to the rear end of shaft 214 which is in turn fixedto swing arm 216 (FIG. 9). It is noted that as the cam assembly 200rotates with drive shaft 150, the cams fixed on the hub and periphery ofthe cam assembly 200 cause roller 212 to oscillate back and forth,causing the swing arm 216 to pivot about longitudinal axis 218 whichresults in the actuation of the control valve 232 for controlling thehook cylinder 58. Swing arm 216 is pivotally connected to C-channel 220which is in turn pivotally secured about transverse shaft 222. Thus tochange from the loading to the unloading mode of operation the swing arm216 is pivoted about transverse shaft 222 rearwardly until roller 212 isaligned with the second set of cams 210.

LOADING OPERATION The loading operation of the present invention isshown schematically in FIGS. 12-19. It may be noted that prior toloading the bale wagon, individual bales are discharged from a hay balerinto the field, the bales being generally disposed in spaced apartrelationshsip, longitudinally aligned. To load, the bale wagon is drivenalongside the row of bales and individual bales are guided into theoffset pickup mechanism 32. The pickup mechanism 32 engages theindividual bales and conveys them onto the transfer table 28, the balesbeing disposed thereon in end-to-end relationship transversely of thebale wagon. Once two bales have been received on the transfer table 28,the bale disposed on the right side, opposite the pickup mechanism 32,actuates the two bale trip mechanism 195, which is operatively connectedto link 194 (FIG. 7). As particularly seen in FIG. 7, the movement oflink 194 to the left causes the roller 176 of the clutch assembly toengage stop 178 of the clutch housing 156. The engagement of the clutchassembly with stop 178 results in the rotation of carrier plate 158 andsince carrier plate 158 is fixed to drive shaft 150, the drive shaft isrotated simultaneously. The rotation of carrier plate 158 drives crank162 upwardly, raising receiving table 28 in the process. Once thecarrier plate 158 has made approximately one-half revolution, the pivotpin assembly 164 will be at top dead-center and the receiving table willbe at its maximum altitude. During the second half revolution thecarrier plate 158 will pull crank 162 downwardly and bring the receivingtable to its downward or lowermost position. Since cam assembly 200 islikewise fixed to drive shaft it rotates as carrier plate 158 rotates.In the loading operation roller 212 is disposed in its rearmost positionfor selective engagement with the first set of cams 208a and 2081). Itis noted from FIG. 10 that as the cam assembly begins to rotate theroller 212 engages cam 208a causing the hook cylinder to extend, therebyopening the hooks. As the cam assembly continues to rotate, roller 212engages closing cam 20% at approximately the time the receiving tablereaches its maximum altitude. This causes the hooks to close and engagethe two bales disposed on the receiving table. Thus the drive shaftcontinues to make one half more revolution and then come to a stop. Thestop is brought about by the fact that the trip mechanism is springloaded such that after the two bales are raised to the hooked positionthe trip mechanism moves back to its initial position pushing link 194to the right which causes edge 187 of the locking plate 186 to engagethe lever 180, causing the roller to be pivoted from the path of stop178. (FIG. 8)

Two more bales are received on the transfer table in like manner and thetrip mechanism once again actuates the single revolution clutch 149causing the receiving table to move upwardly. Just as the receivingtable begins to move upwardly cam 208a again opens the hooks at a timein which the top of the two bales on the receiving table is just belowthe lower portion of the two bales previously retained on the transfertable 26. Thus the opening of the hooks causes the previously retainedpair of bales to be supported by the present pair of bales on thereceiving table. As the receiving table continues to move up, the fourbales are moved upwardly until the receiving table has reachedapproximately its maximum altitude at which time the hooks close,retaining the lower pair of bales. Thus it is seen that the hooks retainthe last pair of balesand the previous pair of bales are supportedthereabove in overlying relationship. As seen in FIG. 2, the hooks arespaced a distance slightly greater than a pair of bales above thereceiving table 28. Thus once the transfer table 26 includes four pairof bales, there is yet room for another pair of bales on the receivingtable 28. Thus two more bales are received in end-to-end relationship onreceiving table 28. Once the four pair of bales are supported adjacentthe transfer table 26 by the hooks a trip mechanism indicated by numeral224 (FIG. 1) causes the trip mechanism 195 disposed adjacent the righthand side of the receiving table to be operatively connected to thecontrol valve for the transfer table cylinders 84. Thus when the lasttwo bales are received on the receiving table the trip mechanism 195actuates the control valve of hydraulic cylinders 84 causing them to beretracted and the five pair of bales to be moved rearwardly onto thefront part of load rack 18. As the transfer table 26 becomes disposedadjacent the load rack 10, the hooks are disengaged thereby depositingthe tier on the front of the load rack. At approximately the same time,a trip mechanism which is operatively connected to the control valve forhydraulic cylinder 84 reverses the control valve, thereby extending therod end of cylinders 84 and returns the transfer table back to itsforward loading position. Successive tiers are loaded on the transfertable similar to that just described and the tiers are successivelystacked in sideby-side relationship onto the load rack 10 until a fullload is contained thereon.

SlNGLE BALE UNLOADING After the bale wagon is loaded it is moved to anappropriate storage sight for single bale unloading. To unload it isnecessary to deactivate the loading controls for the transfer table 26and receiving table 28. This is accomplished by a manually operatedcentral control lever, not shown, which when moved from a loading to anunloading position deactivates the loading controls and activates theunloading controls. The unloading controls include a system of sensingmechanisms, not shown, disposed about said transfer table 26 andoperatively connected to the hydraulic control valve of the pair ofcylinders 84. This system of sensing mechanisms sense the presence ofthe bales about the transfer table 28 and control the movement thereofbetween a first forward inclined position also referred to as the singlebale unloading position and a second position also referred to as a tierreceiving position adjacent the front end of load rack 10. As thecentral control lever is moved to the unloading position, a second majorunloading control is also activated, that being the sensing plate 196which is disposed intermediately between the load rack 10 and crossconveyor 30. The sensing plate 196 in FIG. 2 is disposed along a frontedge of the load rack 10, when activated is spring biased to an upwardposition and is operatively connected to the single revolution clutchassembly for driving the receiving table up and down relative to thehooks on transfer table 26.

To complete the conversion from loading to unloading, pawl 142 which ispivotally secured on the rolling rack carriage plate is moved to thelower position for engagement with the ratchet portion of ratchet bar138. This assures that the rolling rack 22 will be moved forwardly inincrements equal to a tier thickness as the transfer table is moved fromthe second position (tier receiving position) adjacent the front end ofthe load rack 10 to the first or forward inclined position.

Parenthetically, it should be noted that the unloading control linkagecontains interlocking means to prohibit the simultaneous actuation oftransfer table 26 and receiving table 28.

To commence the unloading operation, the transfer table 26 is powered tothe second position (tier receiving position) adjacent the front end ofload rack 10. Once the transfer table 26 is disposed adjacent the frontend of load rack 10, the hooks are closed retaining the second row ofbales from the bottom of the tier. The transfer table 26 is thenactuated forwardly, carrying the upper portion of the tier therewith. Asthe trans fer table 26 is moved forwardly, ratchet bar 138 which isengaged with pawl 142 causes the rolling rack to be moved forwardly anincrement equal to one tier thickness. As the rolling rack movesforwardly the bottom row of the tier being retrieved is pushed forwardlyonto the receiving table 28. The cross conveyor 30, which ismechanically driven, conveys the two bales transversely from the balewagon toward the side of the wagon opposite the pickup 32 where thebales fall therefrom, one bale at a time. Once the bottom two bales ofthe tier have been conveyed from the cross conveyor, the sensing plate196 springs upwardly and actuates the single revolution clutch whichdrives the receiving table 28 upwardly towards the bottom two balesdisposed on transfer table 26. As the receiving table 28 moves upwardlyit is noted that the cam assembly 200 is rotated by drive shaft 150. Italso should be pointed out at this time that roller 212 is now alignedfor engagement with the second. set of cams 210. Therefore as thereceiving table 28 moves upwardly to a pointjust before it reaches itsmaximum altitude, cam 210a engages the roller 212 which actuates thehook control valve, causing the hook cylinder to extend, opening thehooks and allowing the lower pair of bales retained thereby to bedeposited on the receiving table 28. As the receiving table 28 movesdownwardly the cam assembly 200 also continues to rotate and cam 21812engages roller 212 just before the receiving table reaches its lowerposition, causing; the hooks to close and retain the pair of balesdisposed above the pair of bales now disposed on the receiving table 28.

The pair of bales retrieved from the transfer table are then conveyedtransversely from the wagon by cross conveyor 30, the bales beingdischarged in single file relationship, one bale at a time. Once thebales have been completely discharged from the receiving table, thesensing plate 196 springs upwardly, causing the receiving table to cycleand retrieve the lower pair of bales presently being retained by thehooks 46,48 as just described.

Once the complete tier has been retrieved by the receiving table 28, thetransfer table 26 moves back to the second position to retrieve anothertier. This process of retrieving a tier from the load rack and bringingit back to the first position and thenretrieving individual pairs ofbales from the tier and conveying them transversely from the bale wagonis continued until the entire load is discharged from the load rack 10.

Once the entire load is discharged, the central control lever is shiftedto the loading position and deactivates the unloading controls andactivates the loading controls and enables the bale wagon to return tothe field and load a stack as previously described.

HYDRAULIC SYSTEM FIG. 11 shows schematically the hydraulic circuitry forcontrolling the loading and unloading operation of the bale wagon. Fromthe foregoing discussion it is apparent that the basic power units ofthe hydraulic system comprise (1) a pair of side mounted cylinders, eachdenoted by the numeral 84, for powering the transfer table 26 androlling rack 22 and (2) the hook control cylinder 58. These power unitsare shown in the hydraulic diagram and are primarily controlled througha pair of three position directional control valves indicated bynumerals 230 and 232, valve 230 being operatively connected to theparallel cylinders 84 while valve 232 is operatively connected to thehook control cylinder 58.

Referring generally to the structure of the hydraulic circuitry, a pairof combination relief-check valves 238 are inserted in the hydraulicsystem between the second table control valve 230 and the parallelarranged cylinders 84. lnterposed between cylinder 58 and control valve232, is a cross-over valve 234 which is manually operated by the centralcontrol lever, not shown, which changes the mode of operation of thebale wagon from loading to unloading. Various lines and other componentsof the hydraulic system are indicated by numerals for the purposes ofexplaining the function of the hydraulic circuit during loading andunloading.

In the aforementioned description of the loading and unloading operationit is observed that the control of the hooks on the transfer table isaccomplished by cam assembly 200. This cam assembly is operativelyconnected to the control valve 232 and effectuates the placement ofbales from the receiving table 28 to the transfer table 26 oreffectuates the release of bales from the same transfer table to thereceiving table. But during the loading operation it was furthernecessary to control the opening and closing of the hooks when thetransfer table 28 was disposed in its second position adjacent the frontend of the load rack 10. To accomplish this a secondary hook controlvalve 236 is inserted in the hydraulic system between the hook controlscylinder 58 and the parallel disposed cylinders 84. As seen in FIG. 11,which shows all of the components of a hydraulic system as they aredisposed in the no load condition, the secondary hook control valve is atwo position valve, the two positions being (1) a block position and (2)a straight-through position. Preferably the secondary hook control valve236 is spring biased to assume the straight-through position but ismounted between the transfer table and the box frame such that itassumes the block position when the transfer table is in its forwardinclined position. Thus as the receiving table moves rearwardly thesecondary control valve assumes the straight-through position because itis spring biased accordingly.

Briefly discussing the function of the hydraulic system during theoperation of the bale wagon, it is seen that in the no load condition,oil flows from the pump 240 through line 246, through relief-valve 242,through the center position of control valve 232, and onto reservoir244.

During the loading operation pairs of bales are transferred from thereceiving table 28 to the transfer table 26 where the bales are retainedthereon by the hooks 46,48. As the receiving table begins to move upwardcam 208a (FIG. 10) shifts control valve 232 to the straight-throughposition. Thus oil flows from the pump through line 250 and 252 into theanchor end of cylinder 58, causing the rod to extend and open the hooks.Once the receiving table has moved up to near its maximum altitude, cam20% shifts the control valve 232 to the cross-over position. Thecross-over position directs the flow of oil from pump 240 into the rodend of cylinder 58, thereby closing the hooks and retaining the pair ofbales previously supported by the receiving table 28. This is repeateduntil a full tier is supported by the hooks 46 and 48.

After the full tier has been received by the transfer table, a tripmechanism actuates the transfer table control valve 230 to thecross-over position. Oil then flows from the pump through the normallycentered position of control valve 232, through control valve 230, intoline 274. At this point the oil would tend to flow through secondarycontrol valve 236 except for the fact that the cylinder 58 is extendedand line 250 is blocked at control valve 232; thus oil is not free toflow into line 272 and pressure is built up therein. Once pressurebuild-up reaches the predetermined limits of the reliefvalve 238, oilflows into the rod end of each of the cylinders 84, retracting thecylinders and pulling the transfer table rearwardly towards a positionadjacent the front end of load rack 10. As the transfer table 26 movesrearwardly, the secondary hook control valve 236 is shifted to itsstraight-through position. Thus once the cylinders 84 are fullyretracted and adjacent the front end of load rack 10, the oil in line274 is allowed to flow through the secondary hook control valve 236 intothe anchor end of cylinder 58; thus opening the hooks and depositing theentire tier onto the front portion of the load rack 10. Then a tripmechanism shifts transfer table control valve 230 over to thestraight-through position. Oil then flows into line 262 and sincecylinder 58 is extended and line 250 is blocked at valve 232, the oilflows into line 282 through the relief-check valve combination 238 andinto the anchor end of cylinders 84. The cylinders 84 are extendedcausing the transfer table 28 to be moved back to its receiving positionfor receiving another tier from the receiving table. The process offorming a tier on the transfer table and moving the transfer table backand forth between the load rack and the first position is continueduntil a full load is received thereon.

To unload it is recalled that the central control lever is shifted fromthe loading position to the unloading position. The cross-over valve 234is operatively connected to the central control lever and as the controllever is shifted to the unloading position the cross-over valve isshifted to the cross-over position.

The unloading operation is commenced by a tripping mechanism whichshifts the transfer table control valve 230 to the straight-throughposition. Oil then flows through control valve 232, through controlvalve 230 and into line 274. Flow is blocked in line 272 because thecylinder 58 is in a retractive position and line 250 is blocked atcontrol valve 232. Therefore oil flows into the relief portion of theupper relief-check valve 238 once the predetermined pressure range isreached. The oil flows from the combination relief-check valve 238, intoline 278 and into the rod end of cylinders 84, thereby retracting thecylinders and bringing them rearwardly to the second position adjacentthe front end of the load rack 10. Once the cylinders are completelyretracted the transfer table 26 is adjacent the front end of the loadrack in close proximity to the end tier of bales. As the transfer tablemoves to this position adjacent the load rack 10, the secondary controlvalve 236 is shifted to the straight-through position. Since the oil canno longer flow into the rod end of cylinders 84, the oil flows backthrough line 272, through the crossover valve 234, into the anchor endof cylinder 58. This extends the rod of cylinder 58, causing the hooksto close and retain the second row of bales from the bottom of the tier.Then the second table control valve 230 is shifted to the straightthrough position and oil flows into line 262. The oil flow is restrictedin line 264 since the cylinder 58 is fully retracted and line 250 isblocked at control valve 232. Therefore once the predetermined pressurerange is reached oil flows from line 262, through line 282, through therelief portion of the combination relief-check valve, into the anchorend of cylinders 84. The rods of the respective cylinders 84 are thenextended, causing the transfer table 26 to move from the positionadjacent the load rack to the first forward inclined position, carryingthe retrieved tier therewith. It is noted at this point that the bottomrow of bales of the retrieved tier is then pulled down onto thereceiving table 28 by the movement of the rolling rack a distanceforward equal to one tier thickness. Once the transfer table is broughtback to its first position, the second table control valve 230 isshifted to its neutral or block position.

The cross conveyor 30 then conveys the lower pair of bales from thereceiving table 26, one bale at a time. At this time the sensing plate196 springs upwardly and actuates the single revolution clutch assembly149 which in turn actuates the cam assembly 200. As the receiving table28 moves upwardly control valve 232 is shifted to the cross-overposition by cam 210a just before the receiving table reaches its maximumaltitude. Thus oil flows into line 256, through the cross-over valve234, into the anchor end of cylinder 58. Therefore the rod of thecylinder is extended causing the hooks to open and release the lowerpair of bales retained on transfer table 28. As the receiving tablemoves downwardly, cam 21% moves control valve 232 to thestraight-through position. Thus oil flows into line 250, throughcross-over valve 234 and into the anchor end of cylinder 58. As the rodof cylinder 58 is retracted the hooks are closed. The positioning of cam21% is critical inasmuch as it is necessary that the hooks close as thetier of bales slide down the transfer table just before the receivingtable reaches its lowermost position. The cycling of the receiving table28 is continued until all of the bales on the transfer table have beenretrieved and conveyed transversely from the bale wagon. Once all of thebales have been retrieved, the transfer table 26 is once again movedrearwardly to the second position adjacent the load rack where itretrieves another tier that was brought forward on its last cycle by therolling rack 22. The transfer table then returns the tier to the firstposition where the receiving table goes through a series of cycles toretrieve individual pairs of bales from the receiving table.

This total process is continued until the entire wagon is unloaded.

Thus it is seen that the present bale wagon has the advantage ofemploying the same stacking elements to load and single bale unload.This gives a very desirable design arrangement that no other bale wagonin the prior art includes in that the same stacking components are usedto unstack and single bale unload without the addition of any type ofconversion unit to adapt the bale wagon to perform in unloadingsituations.

The terms, upper," lower, forward, rearward etc., have been used hereinmerely for the convenience of the foregoing specification and in theappended claims to describe the bale wagon and its parts as oriented inthe drawings. It is to be understood, how ever, that these terms are inno way limiting to the invention since the bale wagon may obviously bedisposed in many different positions when in actual use.

The present invention, of course, may be carried out in other specificways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit andessential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are,therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalencyrange are intended to be embraced herein.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim 1. In a baleunloading wagon of the type which includes a wheel supported chassis, agenerally flat load rack mounted on said chassis and being capable ofsupporting a stack of bales thereon formed of a plurality of verticaltiers of bales arranged transversely of said load rack, a transfer tabledisposed adjacent an end of said load rack and being capable ofsuccessively receiving a tier of bales from said load rack, baleunloading means capable of unloading said bales in said tier received bysaid transfer table, and rack means disposed transversely of said loadrack and mounted on said load rack for movement in a fore-and-aftdirection along said load rack toward said load rack end for advancingsaid stack in said fore-and-aft direction toward said transfer table atsaid load rack end, the improvement comprising:

a frame structure mounted at said load rack end including transverselyspaced apart guide means which extend generally in said fore-and-aftdirection toward said load rack end and mount said transfer table forreciprocatory movement in said fore-and-aft direction between a firstposition adjacent to said load rack end at which position said table iscapable of receiving said tier of bales from said load rack and a secondposition spaced from said load rack end at which position said tabledisposes said tier of bales for unloading by said bale unloading meansfrom said wagon;

an indexing mechanism including first means mounted in said fore-and-aftdirection along said load rack for reciprocatory movement toward andaway from said transfer table and said load rack end and second meansmounted to said moveable rack means for connecting said rack means tosaid first means during movement of said first means toward saidtransfer table and said load rack end and for disconnecting said rackmeans from said first means and maintaining said rack means at restduring movement of said first means away from said transfer table andsaid load rack end;

means pivotally mounted at one end to said load rack end for pivotalmovement in said fore-and-aft direction, said means further beingpivotally coupled at a first location spaced from its one end to saidtransfer table and at a second location spaced from its one end to saidfirst means of said indexing mechanism; and

source of motive power for selectively pivotally moving said meansmounted at said load rack end in a reciprocatory manner in saidfore-and-aft direction through predetermined forward and reverse strokesto respectively cause during said forward stroke substantiallysimultaneous movements of said transfer table from its first position toits second position and of said first means of said indexing mechanismtoward said load rack end which advances said rack means, beingconnected to said first means by said second means, toward said loadrack end and cause during said reverse stroke sub- 7 stantiallysimultaneous movements of said transfer table from its second positionback to its first position and of said first means of said indexingmechanism away from said load rack end while said rack means, beingdisconnected from said first means by said second means, is maintainedby said second means at rest at said previously advanced position.

2. The bale wagon as recited in claim 1, wherein:

said means pivotally mounted at one end to said load rack comprises arocker arm; and

said source of motive power includes hydraulic cylinder means beinganchored at one end to said load rack and pivotally secured to anopposite end to said rocker arm at a third location spaced from said oneend of said arm.

3. The bale wagon as recited in claim 1, further comprising meansoperatively mounted on said transfer table for engaging said tier ofbales when said transfer table is disposed at its first position and forretaining said tier on said transfer table as said table is moved fromits first position to its second position.

1. In a bale unloading wagon of the type which includes a wheelsupported chassis, a generally flat load rack mounted on said chassisand being capable of supporting a stack of bales thereon formed of aplurality of vertical tiers of bales arranged transversely of said loadrack, a transfer table disposed adjacent an end of said load rack andbeing capable of successively receiving a tier of bales from said loadrack, bale unloading means capable of unloading said bales in said tierreceived by said transfer table, and rack means disposed transversely ofsaid load rack and mounted on said load rack for movement in afore-and-aft direction along said load rack toward said load rack endfor advancing said stack in said fore-and-aft direction toward saidtransfer table at said load rack end, the improvement comprising: aframe structure mounted at said load rack end including transverselyspaced apart guide means which extend generally in said fore-and-aftdirection toward said load rack end and mount said transfer table forreciprocatory movement in said foreand-aft direction between a firstposition adjacent to said load rack end at which position said table iscapable of receiving said tier of bales from said load rack and a secondposition spaced from said load rack end at which position said tabledisposes said tier of bales for unloading by said bale unloading meansfrom said wagon; an indexing mechanism including first means mounted insaid fore-and-aft direction along said load rack for reciprocatorymovement toward and away from said transfer table and said load rack endand second means mounted to said moveable rack means for connecting saidrack means to said first means during movement of said first meanstoward said transfer table and said load rack end and for disconnectingsaid rack means from said first means and maintaining said rack means atrest during movement of said first means away from said transfer tableand said load rack end; means pivotally mounted at one end to said loadrack end for pivotal movement in said fore-and-aft direction, said meansfurther being pivotally coupled at a first location spaced from its oneend to said transfer table and at a second location spaced from its oneend to said first means of said indexing mechanism; and a source ofmotive power for selectively pivotally moving said means mounted at saidload rack end in a reciprocatory manner in said fore-and-aft directionthrough predetermined forward and reverse strokes to respectively causeduring said forward stroke substantially simultaneous movements of saidtransfer table from its first position to its second position and ofsaid first means of said indexing mechanism toward said load rack endwhich advances said rack means, being connected to said first means bysaid second means, toward said load rack end and cause during saidreverse stroke substantially simultaneous movements of said transfertable from its second position back to its first position and of saidfirst means of said indexing mechanism away from said load rack endwhile said rack means, being disconnected from said first means by saidsecond means, is maintained by said second means at rest at saidpreviously advanced position.
 2. The bale wagon as recited in claim 1,wherein: said means pivotally mounted at one end to said load rackcomprises a rocker arm; and said source of motive power includeshydraulic cylinder means being anchored at one end to said load rack andpivotally secured to an opposite end to said rocker arm at a thirdlocation spaced from said one end of said arm.
 3. The bale wagon asrecited in claim 1, further comprising means operatively mounted on saidtransfer table for engaging said tier of bales when said transfer tableis disposed at its first position and for retaining said tier on saidtransfer table as said table is moved from its first position to itssecond position.